You'd think there are some health practices from the past that ought to be left in the past, but apparently not. Witness the fact that the old remedy of bloodletting might be making a comeback. Ok, sure, why not? A small study of 33 obese patients with metabolic syndrome—the disease du jour—found that after six weeks of making regular blood donations, the people had lower blood pressure and decreased levels of glucose. Well, at least we're donating blood now instead of just opening a vein into a bowl and throwing it out, I guess?

The researchers think it works by reducing iron levels, since excessive iron has been tied to some of the ailments associated with metabolic syndrome. Aaanyway, this is such a small study that the results really don't prove much. So we need not get worked up just yet. Donating blood is certainly a worthwhile thing to do for it's own sake, but let's hope this bloodletting for health trend bleeds out before it hits the bigtime.